If you are into process improvement, now is the time to jump onto your organization’s analytics and digital transformation efforts. A recent APQC study found 53 percent of organizations plan on investing in advanced analytics and automation over the next 12 months. For the remaining 47 percent, it is likely not a question of “if” but “when.”

What do improvement professionals need to know to join in this wave of digital transformation?

I recently interviewed Andrew Bruce to learn how blockchain can cut costs, reduce complexity, and improve controls in oil and gas supply chains and across industries. Andrew Bruce is the CEO of Data Gumbo, a blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) provider offering smart contract capabilities to oil and gas companies. Bruce discussed how and why companies use BaaS, the financial and resource investment required, and how supply chain leaders can move forward with BaaS implementation.

Technology of the future will change our experience, but self-awareness is a change in consciousness. Change really comes down to whether or not people feel safe to explore new things, feel supported as they are learning, and feel confident in themselves and their ability to navigate this digital explosion.

I’m going to begin this post with a slightly embarrassing self-quote from 5 years ago, when I was a first-year MBA student. The following is an excerpt from the introduction I wrote for a marketing plan group assignment.

You can tell I was really feeling myself when I wrote that… And, you know what? I still am!

This year marks APQC’s 40th anniversary, so all year long we could hardly wait for the big team party we were planning for the fall. But Hurricane Harvey had something else in store for us, and so our celebration plans ended up underwater – quite literally in this case.

Much is being said these days about blockchain, also referred to as distributed ledger technology, and its impact on business. Let’s be honest with each other: are you familiar with blockchain? If you are not, then the good news is that you are not alone. And if you are extremely familiar, you are in fairly limited company.

I’m going to start off this blog with a few (seemingly) random facts. First, it’s springtime. Second, my friends and I are in our late twenties. Finally, I participate in social media. These facts are relatively meaningless on their own, but, when taken in combination, they can mean only one thing: I see lots and lots of wedding photos each and every day.